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Relational Quality Between the RN and Nursing Assistant: Essential for Teamwork and Communication
Amy Richmond Campbell1, Susan Kennerly, Melvin Swanson
1Author Affiliations: Associate Clinical Professor (Dr Campbell), Professor (Dr Kennerly), Associate Clinical Professor (Dr Swanson), and Associate Professor (Dr Forbes), East Carolina University; Vice President of Quality (Dr Anderson), Vidant Medical Center; and Professor (Dr Scott), East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.
Objective:
Nurse (RN) and nursing assistant (NA) relational quality was examined along with associations between relational quality and evaluations of teamwork and communication.
Background:
RN and NA teams constitute the primary nursing care delivery method, and the quality of their relationship affects system capacity for improving patient outcomes; adverse events are linked to communication and teamwork breakdowns.
Methods:
RN (N = 889) and NA (263) relational quality was examined using a cross-sectional secondary analysis from system assessment with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.
Results:
RN and NA perceived relational quality indicated significant differences in teamwork and safety grade ratings, with both groups reporting perceived teamwork as high when patient safety grade was low.
Conclusions:
This study supports the benefits of improving the RN-NA teamwork-communication relationship. An enhanced RN-NA relational quality can be used by nurse leaders to optimize patient care delivery outcomes.
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